


the weird kids are at it again

by idlip



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-04-26 15:36:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14405175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idlip/pseuds/idlip
Summary: Why do we wake up? For what? For whom? Everything's the same anyway. I wake up late. Wonder why. Convince myself to go to school but still end up late for first period. I can't count how many times I've been called to the counselor's office. It's always the same talk all over again, on loop and repeat, while expecting a different result everytime.





	the weird kids are at it again

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time posting my work online so I'd gladly appreciate it if you would leave some comments below to help me improve ^^ Please enjoy ヾ（＾ヮ＾)ﾉ

 "Kim Jungwoo, how many times do we have to tell you that every class matters? You can't come in class late and act as if you did nothing wrong." The gray-haired woman pinched her nose bridge as she tried to keep her blood pressure down.

The student before her looked so unbothered. Both of them knew how this scene will play out just like the several meetings before it. Jungwoo would sit still with his head down, long bangs covering his eyes (The guidance counselor made a mental note to remind him that his hair does not follow their school's prescribed haircut for male students.) He would pick on his nails because he doesn't have anything better to do. The guidance counselor would exhale a deep sigh before giving him an absence slip to present to his teachers before being allowed to make up for his missed tests. They would both pretend their time wasn't wasted on something that seems impossible to fix and go on with the rest of their day.

The whole hour was filled with awkward silences, mostly from Jungwoo who'd rather look anywhere besides the lady in front of him. Every attempt to reach out to him was futile. No amount of gentle persuasion could break his silence. The woman was in obvious distress. If she couldn't figure out Jungwoo's problem soon, she may not be able to defend his _irresponsibility_  from the school head. The kid has broken a lot of rules far too many times and while he technically brought this upon himself, there might be a reason behind all of this.

"Please, Jungwoo... If you keep this up, you might get expelled. It would be such a shame to let go of a bright student like you. Please-"

Before she could even finish her sentence, the clock behind her desk struck 12. Jungwoo's head perked up from looking at his watch and immediately stood up to grab his absence slip on the desk. He muttered a small thank you before turning on his heels and walking outside of the office, head hanging low and feet trudging along slowly.

Walking down the hallway seemed like a tedious chore. His unkempt hair that he dyed blue three weeks ago stood out too much and his tall frame didn't help either. He felt people staring at him, glaring at him, a few might be fawning over him. If he weren't so weird, as some of his classmates would say, he could easily pass off as an idol trainee at some entertainment company. However, Jungwoo had no interests in such things. He wasn't interested in studying either. 

He was, a few weeks ago.

He wasn't sure how it all started. It started with a small feeling of emptiness that gradually consumed his being. He began to notice how he faked his smiles and laughter. It wasn't because he didn't find the joke funny or anything. In fact, he just felt...distant. Distant from himself and everyone else. And then his sleep cycles shifted slowly, so slow that he didn't even notice how his nightly routine changed from 10 PM to 2 PM. Consequently, he would wake up late and go to school late. All of these happened and he wasn't even aware of it. Everyone saw but he didn't. There's a faint understanding of how everything had come to this point inside his head but he didn't know how to make sense of it.

He walked absentmindedly until he bumped into someone. A small thud and a whiff of something minty and woodsy woke him up from his musings. The blue-haired looked up to see an unfamiliar face with surprised-as-hell doe eyes and furrowed eyebrows. Mouth agape and shoulders tensed, Jungwoo was about to drop an apology when the guy in front of him suddenly spoke up.

"I'm sorry, man." The guy spoke louder than what Jungwoo would've liked. His tone seemed sincere, though, and he even put on a reassuring smile. The stranger was taller by a few inches but it was his radiating confidence that made Jungwoo feel small. Jungwoo remained silent. No matter how hard he tried, no words formed in his mind. The atmosphere slowly started getting suffocating and his ears zeroed in on the faint whispers and murmurs of unknown faces. The fact that the entire body of students in the hallway stopped what they're doing just to look at the two of them (and listen to his reply) didn't help with his anxiety. As he willed himself not to look around, Jungwoo thought of a reply long overdue. The taller guy cleared his throat, possibly to ease the growing awkwardness of the whole situation.

 "I-It's fine. Excuse me." Jungwoo mumbled as he sidestepped the stranger and walked away hurriedly. Anywhere would be fine as long as it's far away from everyone's stares.


End file.
